Spool for perforated music-sheets.



C. H. PHILLIPS.

SPOOL FOR PERFORATED MUSIC SHEETS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-7, U09. I 979,090 Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

ATTORNEY W/T/VESSES 7 %ma wz%% FTCE.

CHARLES H. PHILLIPS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

SPOOL FOR PERFORATED MUSIC-SHEETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 7, 1909.

Patented Dec. 20, 1910. Serial No. 471,173.

To all whom it may con cern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. PHILLIPS, a citizen of the United ,States, and a resident of Buffalo, county of Erie, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spools for Perforated Music-Sheets, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in spools for perforated music sheets such spools being adapted for use in connection with automatic musical instruments or instrument players.

In producing my invention my chief object has been to provide a spool of the character described which would maintain during varying conditions of the atmosphere a width that is substantially constant with the width of the sheet music roll on the spool.

It is well known to those skilled in the art that perforated music rolls swell when the moisture in the air increases and thus their width varies with such atmospheric conditions. Some spools have been made wide enough to provide for the maximum width of paper but not for the minimum width and as a consequence such spools fit the paper only when it is of its greatest width with the result that nearly all the time the spool is more or less wider than the paper. The disadvantage of this misfit is the fact that the paper will weave to a degree equal to that of the misfit of the spool and paper and consequently will not register exactly with the tracker board.

Various devices have been suggested for overcoming the disadvantages just mentioned some of them providing a spool having one or both of the end flanges longitudinally movable and held normally under spring tension toward the center of the spool while other devices have been made having one or both of the end flanges movable by hand so that they could be moved and fixed so as to correspond with the width of the paper which is wound upon the spool when the spool is placed in the piano player. Serious disadvantages exist with reference to both of these structures. The disadvantage of the spring structure just described consists in the fact that when the music roll is nearly unwound and its edges offer but slight resistance to the spring tensioned flange or flanges, such flange or flanges are pushed against the paper sufiiciently hard so that they buckle or break the paper edges and thus interfere with the proper action of the paper on the tracker board. Obviously the disadvantage of the hand con trolled flanges is that unless they are constantly changed as the atmospheric conditions change, they remain substantially rigid in one position and are open to the same objections as are the spools which have no longitudinally movable flanges.

In my invention I have provided a means which makes it possible for the spool to fit the paper under varying conditions of width and thereby cause it to track perfectly by moving across the tracker board in a straight line. I

Referring now to the accompanying drawi gs: Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved spool. Fig. 2 is an end view of the left hand end of Fig. l and shows in elevation the fixed flange. Fig. 3 is an end view of the right hand end of Fig. 1 and shows in elevation the movable flange. Fig. 4t is a longitudinal section taken on the line -50 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the line y of Fig. 1.

5 is the barrel of my spool. Upon one end of the barrel and over a reduced por tion thereof is secured, by any suitable means, the fixed flange 6, the other end of the barrel 5 has a reduced portion 7 over which is fitted a metal sleeve 8. This metal sleeve is provided with any suitable number of integral ribs 9 and is of sufiicient length to allow the inner end thereof to be forced into the larger portion of the barrel 5 as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The sleeve 8 is thereby rigidly secured to the reduced portion 7 of the barrel 11 and 12 are metal washers which are fastened to the end face of the reduced portion of the barrel 5 by any suitable means. These washers are preferably of greater diameter than the reduced ends of the barrel 5 and form shoulders to prevent the flanges 6 and from moving off from such reduced end portions. 10 is the movable flange of my spool which is adapted to slide over the metal sleeve 8. These washers protect the ends of the barrel against wear when the spool is revolved in the piano player.

1s and 15 are studs inserted in the ends of the spool as shown, the stud 1st being pro vided with feathers 16 whereby means is provided for driving the spool in the piano player. These studs are of the usual construction and are designed for rotatably supporting the spool in suitable journals in the piano player. As shown each stud is separate from the other and is inserted in one end of the barrel, but obviously one piece of material may be used and made to extend longitudinally throughout the entire length of the barrel and have any proper shape to form the studs.

'lhe flange it) as clearly shown in F 1 and at is capable of some longitudinal movement and the range of this movement may be as great or as little as desired. in its longitudinal. movement it is adapted to travel over the ribs 9 and is provided with indentations or grooves which tit over said ribs. The sleeve 8 is preferably of less diameter than the larger portion of the barrel 5 and the longitudinal movement of the flange it) is determined by the distance between the end of such larger portion of the barrel 5 and the shoulder formed by the washer 12 at the outside end of the sleeve 8. Clearly the barrel itself may be used to perform the same function as does the sleeve herein shown and described provided of course that: the flange 10 is adapted to move longitudinally upon it and it is to be understood that such a modification is within the scope of the appended claims.

The flange it) is titted over the sleeve 8 and its ribs 5) in such a manner that some suitable resistance will be offered to its longitudinalniovenient. hen a roll of music is placed on my spool the movable flange it) is pushed up against the roll, the resistance above mentioned being sutlicient to properly hold it there, and when the humidity in the atn'iosphere increases the said flange will be moved outwardly by the paper as it swells.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that my invention provides a cheap and ef- 'l'icient means for keeping the perforated music sheets in proper ali'nement on the spool under varying atmospheric conditions and that this is accomplished without iiijuring in any way the edges of such sheets.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

l. A spool for perforated music sheets (IUHIPl'lSlllg a barrel, studsfor rotatably supporting the spool, a fixed flange secured on one end of said barrel, a sleeve secured on the opposite end of said barrel, a flange movably disposed on said sleeve and means whereby said movable flange is permitted to move .in a straight longitudinal direction only.

A. spool for perforated music sheets comprising a barrel, studs for rotatably supporting the spool, a fixed flange secured on one end of said barrel, a sleeve secured on the opposite end of said barrel, longitudinal ribs integ'al with said sleeve and a flange provided with key-ways and longitudii'ially movable over said ribs and said sleeve whereby said movable flange can not be rotated about said sleeve but will always move in a straight line and longitudinally therewith.

A spool for perforated music sheets comprising a barrel, studs for rotatably sup porting the spool, a fixed flange secured on one end of said barrel, a sleeve secured on the opposite end of said barrel, longitudinal ribs integral with said sleeve, a flange movably disposed over said sleeve and said ribs and movable in a longitudinal direction only and a washer secured at each end of said barrel, whereby the ends of said barrel are protected against wear.

A spool for perforated music sheets comprising a barrel, studs for rotatably supporting the spool, a fixed flange secured on one end of said barrel, a sleeve secured on the opposite end of said barrel, a flange longitudinally i'novable on said sleeve and a washer secured at the end of said sleeve whereby the longitudinal movement of said flange is limited.

5. A spool for perforated music sheets comprising a barrel formed at one end with a reduced portion, a lixed flange secured on the opposite end. of said barrel, a sleeve secured on the reduced end of said barrel, a flange movably disposed on said sleeve and means whereby said movable flange is permitted to move in a straight longitudinal direction only.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. PHILLIPS.

lVitnesses J. \VM. ELLIS, E'rrrnn A. KELLY. 

